Chirri & Chirra, Under the Sea
Chirri & Chirra, Under the Sea
This title is also available from Bookshop, a great initiative that supports local, independent bookstores.
Written and illustrated by Kaya Doi
Translated from Japanese by David Boyd
A Wall Street Journal 20 Best Children’s Books of the Past 20 Years Selection!
Join Chirri and Chirra on their enchanting adventure beneath the waves.
Chirri and Chirra are pedaling along when they find a cave. At the end of the cave, they see a light. Oh! They are under the sea! They pedal through a maze of coral and pass through an opening in the seaweed, into a scene of seashells of all colors and shapes. Naturally, they come upon sea treats, such as parfait à la conch and marine soda jelly topped with pearl cream. They even experience the famed “South Sea Musical” performed by multitudes of beautiful fish.
This is the happy, lovely world of Chirri and Chirra, where they stumble upon the most wonderful surprises under the sea.
ISBN: 978-1-59270-302-9
9.25" (W) x 6.5" (H) • 36 pages • HCJ • Ages 4-8
AWARDS & REVIEWS
A Wall Street Journal 20 Best Children’s Books of the Past 20 Years Selection
A New York Magazine 2024 Holiday Gift Guide Selection
One of the Wall Street Journal’s “20 Best Children’s Books of the Past 20 Years: Most Beguiling Picture-Book Series!” "These enchanting books are like a dream of childhood—full of kindness, adventure and eccentric delights." —Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal
Featured in New York Magazine's 2024 Holiday Gift Guide: Best Books to Gift to Little Kids! "It’s simple, and the colored-pencil illustrations are very charming — the best imaginative treats." —Illustrator Sarah Jacoby, for New York Magazine’s The Strategist
"I love a book that is just so clearly written to access the world inside a child’s mind... It’s an adventure to nowhere and everywhere and is so visually enchanting." —Comedy writer and bestselling author Bess Kalb, for New York Magazine’s The Strategist
“Kaya Doi has created another wondrous alternative world for her signature characters... Each glowing illustration seems more delectable than the last. It's a glorious outing to a place warmed by courtesy, kindness and the pleasure of being alive.” —Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal
“Doi’s artwork mesmerizes. The colors are rich and vibrant—the blue provides a particularly effective contrast to the corals, for example—but there’s also a softness to the pencil drawings that captures the dreaminess of secret worlds and childhood discoveries. There is delight in even the tiniest of details: fish hold open the curtains at the theatre, a seahorse is dressed with a top hat and scarf, a dessert jelly is topped with pearls. The books are also sized for a child’s hands. Long but not tall, they feel proportionate for small hands and ready for close examination… If the aim is to help children see the beauty and the mystery in the natural world, Doi has more than succeeded.” —Melanie Ho, Asian Review of Books
"In Chirri & Chirra, Under the Sea, a mysterious cave leads two girls on bicycles into a fantastical world. Peddling along with a ‘dring dring,’ the bobbed, rosy-cheeked duo find coral mazes, seashell sofas, and an octopus waiter. An enjoyable installment in Kaya Doi’s series." —World Magazine
"Chirri & Chirra is an utterly charming series of children’s picture books...low on the angst scale and high on the charm meter. Doi is known for her softly styled drawings on rich creamy paper. She creates the illustrations in these books with colored pencils, pastels, and crayons, crafting them to give an old-world feel, a time of innocence and simplicity. The exquisite art radiates joy and has a dreamy quality to it that reflects how children imagine their ideal world to be. These delightful books are a welcome escape for young children from their anxieties." —International Examiner